Xiaomi Mi 7 to Sport Face Unlock Technology, Ditch Fingerprint Sensor: Report

Mi 7, the 2018 flagship Xiaomi smartphone, may become among the first Android handsets to ditch the fingerprint sensor entirely in favour of facial recognition. New reports say the fingerprint sensor in the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 7 will give way to face unlock technology, similar to Apple's phasing out of the Touch ID sensor to make way for its new Face ID authentication system on the iPhone X. Like the current Apple flagship, the Mi 7 is expect to feature 3D face sensing technology to map the users' faces to unlock the device. On the other hand, another report contradicts this, saying the fingerprint sensor will be embedded in the display.

As we mentioned, the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 7 might be the first smartphone to follow in Apple's footsteps, incorporating facial recognition instead of the earlier fingerprint sensing technology. The report from MyDrivers suggests that Xiaomi not showing interest in the upcoming in-display fingerprint sensor is indicative of Xiaomi ditching the technology completely. Vivo and Huawei are rumoured to use it in their upcoming products.

However, another report by GizChina has renders that reveal an on-screen fingerprint scanner on the Mi 7. This ascertains that nothing is confirmed and we will need to wait for further updates to get a clearer picture.

A few smartphones, including the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, and Honor View 10 have already showed up with facial recognition, with a lot more expected to have the feature in 2018. Unlike Apple's iPhone X, all of these Android smartphones are expected to have both fingerprint sensors and 3D face sensors.

The upcoming Xiaomi Mi 7 is said to sport a 6-inch bezel-less 18:9 OLED display and a rear dual camera setup. This rumour, if true, will make the Mi 7 a significant upgrade from the 5.15-inch LCD display on Xiaomi Mi 6. Additionally, the Xiaomi Mi 7 might also be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, and be launched in Q1 2018.